"Innocent!"

Imagine that you are being brought to trial for a crime you have committed. You’ve been able to get the best attorney in town to represent you. You have compiled as much evidence as possible, trying to prove your innocence, and if not prove your innocence, trying to reduce the consequences of your crime as much as possible. Unfortunately, the simple fact is this: You are guilty! And you are guilty of a crime that is so heinous you must pay for it with your life.

Now imagine that the person you have committed the crime against is the Creator and King of the universe. The Creator designed and made a race of creatures so unique and special, he determined to make them his personal friends and partners in creation. But instead they decided to declare their independence and go their own way. As a result, they brought evil and death into what had been a perfect creation. It is an infinite crime committed against an infinite God. The very nature of the crime has resulted in separation from God – death – and the ultimate penalty of the crime, eternal separation from God.

But that’s not the end of the story. You see, the King, who is also the Judge, has appointed his only-begotten Son to be the defense attorney. When the evidence proved to be overwhelming and the Judge was about to pronounce the verdict, the defense attorney came forward and offered to pay the penalty for the crime. Because the defense attorney is also God, his life has infinite value, and the giving of his life can therefore provide a sufficient penalty to cover the crimes of every human criminal. And when the Son gives his life the Judge pronounces the verdict – Innocent!

This is the miracle we are celebrating during the Easter season – the miracle of forgiveness. But forgiveness is also a scandal. Forgiveness is a breach of justice. When someone is proven to be guilty and justice calls for an appropriate penalty, forgiveness gives up the right to exact that penalty and lets the offender go free. Though guilty, we are forgiven and released from the penalty of our crimes.

In Christian theology we call this “justification.” When I taught a freshman level doctrine course in the past we described “justification” under four headings:

1. Justification is the removal of guilt. We are declared to be innocent even though we have been proven to be guilty.  We are no longer condemned but stand in right relationship with God.  Christ is our Advocate--He paid our penalty and gave us His righteousness.  As a result our guilt has been removed from us.  We are no longer sinners but saints (set apart ones). 

2.   Justification is the pardon of penalty. Through the cross our sin is paid for and a way is made for us to be reunited to God.  The penalty of death and all the consequences of sin are also removed.  In justification, sin on our account is put on Christ's account and the righteousness of God on Christ's account is transferred to our account.  To be righteous in the sight of God we must receive Christ's atonement.  Sin was removed from Christ's account at the point of His death on the cross.

3.   Justification is the imputation of righteousness. When Christ puts His righteousness on our account we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

4. Justification is a change of position. We now stand in right relationship with God. Justification frees us to grow in our personal relationship with God.

The scandal of forgiveness is a scandal of injustice. If someone is guilty, they must be punished. (“You do the crime, you do the time.”) As the Righteous Judge of the Universe God certainly has every right to exact judgment upon the human race. Instead, God found a way to erase the penalty and create the possibility of forgiveness – and that way is Jesus. The birth, life, ministry, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus paid the price. And now, we can be forgiven and set free.

However, God will not force forgiveness and freedom on us. We have to want it; we have to ask for it. And that begins by simply realizing our need for forgiveness. No amount of good works will be sufficient to pay the penalty for our crimes against God. Our only hope is to confess our sins and our need for forgiveness, to turn our hearts to God, to acknowledge that Jesus is the Savior and Lord, and to receive God’s grace and mercy. Then we are forgiven, we are free. It may be a scandal, but where would we be if God gave us what we deserved?

Forgiveness then becomes a lifestyle for the forgiven. You can’t live for very long without someone sinning against you, and justice calls for a penalty. But the infinitely forgiven followers of Jesus are in a position to pay it forward. It’s a miracle. And it’s a scandal. But it is a beautiful kind of scandal.